This invention relates in general to personal electronic devices, such as hand-held personal computers, personal digital assistants, and the like.
In recent years, growing numbers of personal electronic devices, such as wireless telephones, pagers, personal digital assistants, hand-held personal computers, and the like are being used extensively for business education and leisure. As technology advances allow for the components of such devices to be made smaller, such as miniaturized circuitry, improved screen technology, improved antenna technology, etc., the demand for smaller personal electronic devices that fit within a user""s pocket, briefcase or purse has increased dramatically. With miniaturized design and construction of personal electronic devices, such as hand-held personal computers, it has become more difficult to integrate keyboards, display screens, function keys, and stylus mechanisms without increasing the overall size and weight of the device.
It is with respect to these and other considerations that the present invention has been made.
In accordance with the present invention, the above and other problems are solved by an improved hand-held computing device. The hand-held computing device of the present invention may include a number of personal electronic devices such as a hand-held personal computer or personal digital assistant. The hand-held computing device includes a slidably retractable keyboard and battery compartment cover having a pair of elongate slide members extending from opposing edges of the cover. The slide members extend into a casing of the hand-held computing device for attaching the cover to the computing device. A keyboard is disposed along a lower front portion of the computing device and a battery compartment is disposed along a lower back portion of the computing device. The keyboard and the battery compartment are uncovered for access by slidably retracting the cover away from the casing of the hand-held computing device.
The retractable cover includes a hollow cavity for receiving and enclosing the lower portion of the computing device when the cover is in a closed position. When the cover is in closed position, the keyboard and the battery compartment are hidden from access and view. Each of the elongate slide members has a detent defined along a forward portion of the slide member for engaging a detent catch disposed in the interior of the casing for retaining the slide members from exiting from the casing and separating from the casing when the cover is retracted to an open position.
The computing device of the present invention also includes a pair of ball assemblies for allowing a slide member to slidably insert into and retract from the casing. Each of the pair of ball assemblies includes a ball, a ball support and a ball retaining arm. The ball is maintained in engagement with an inner surface of the slide members. The ball retaining arm applies spring action against the ball structure for maintaining the ball in engagement with the inner surface of the slide members during movement of the slide members.
According to another aspect of the present invention, the battery compartment includes a generally rectangular-shaped battery recess for enclosing a battery for powering the computing device. The battery compartment further includes an interior battery cover for closing the battery recess to prevent the battery from dislodging from the battery recess when the keyboard and battery compartment cover is in an open position. The battery cover has a first side and a second side and each of the slide members have an elongate track running along a length of each of the slide members along an inner side near the upper edge of each of the slide members. An edge of first side of the interior battery cover is slidably mounted within the elongate track of the first slide member, and an edge of the second side of the interior battery cover is slidably mounted within the elongate track of the other slide member. The interior battery cover is slidably retractable to an open position by sliding the interior battery cover away from the battery recess and into the retracted keyboard and battery compartment cover.
The interior battery cover also includes an interior battery cover closing member defined along a rear edge of the interior battery cover. The closing member is engaged by an interior surface of the keyboard and battery compartment cover such that the interior battery cover is closed by slidably closing the keyboard and battery compartment cover, and thereby, pushing the closing member by engagement of the keyboard and battery compartment cover with the closing member. When the interior battery cover is pushed to a closed position, the closing member engages a stop member defined along the rear of the battery recess to prevent the interior battery cover from moving past a closed position.
The battery compartment of the computing device includes a battery for powering the computing device. The battery includes a generally rectangular shaped battery cell having an upper surface and a lower surface and having a rounded forward end member connecting a forward edge of the upper surface with a forward edge of the lower surface. The battery also includes a battery removal member defined along a rear upper edge of the upper surface. The battery is removed from the battery compartment by lifting the battery removal member upward and by rotating a rear end of the battery upward about an access formed along the rounded forward end member.
The computing device of the present invention also includes a stylus assembly mounted in the interior of a casing of the computing device. The stylus assembly includes an elongate stylus having a first end and a second end. The first end is generally point shaped, and a circumferentially defined detent is located near the second end. The stylus assembly also includes a stylus release catch for engaging the detent to detain the stylus inside the casing of the computing device. The assembly also includes a spring-loaded stylus release button for disengaging the stylus release catch from the detent. The stylus release catch is defined at a forward end of a stylus release, and the stylus release button is disposed along an outer surface of the stylus release. A spring guide is mounted in the interior portion of the casing of the computing device in engagement with an inner surface of the stylus release. Downward movement of the stylus release against the spring guide urges the stylus release catch outward and disengages the stylus release catch from the detent. A lower spring assembly is provided for engaging the first end of the stylus and for urging the stylus out of the casing of the computing device when the stylus release catch is disengaged from the detent.
These and other features and advantages, which characterize the present invention, will be apparent from a reading of the following detailed description and a review of the associated drawings. It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the invention, as claimed.